• Celebrating The Seniors
This weekend UC Santa Barbara will host its final pair of regular season home contests on Meredith Field at Harder Stadium. The Gauchos will face non-conference foe Stanford on Friday evening before hosting Big West opponent UC Davis on Sunday afternoon. UCSB will honor its eight seniors prior to Friday night's game against the Cardinal.

• Watch or Listen Live
Both of this weekend's matches will be broadcast live on KZSB AM 1290, the Santa Barbara News-Press radio station. The Voice of the Gauchos, Gerry Fall, will be on hand to call all of the action. The broadcast will also be streamed live on UCSBgauchos.com along with a live video stream and an interactive chat open to fans.

• For The Record
After remaining undefeated through the first 11 matches of the season, the Gauchos have faced some adversity as of late, dropping three of their last four matches - all by a one-goal margin. UCSB is now 9-3-3 on the season and 3-3-1 in Big West contests.

• How The Big West Was Won
UCSB has three more conference games on its slate and the results will make or break its chance to advance to its fifth consecutive Big West Tournament. The Gauchos are currently fourth in the league's North Division with 10 points. They trail UC Davis (15 points), Cal Poly (13 points) and Sacramento State (13 points), respectively. The top-two teams in each division will vie for the Big West Championship.

• Pulse on the Polls
Due to its recent struggles, UCSB has fallen in each of the national polls this week. The Gauchos are ranked 18th by TopDrawerSoccer.com (previously No. 15), 19th by College Soccer News (No. 13), 23rd by Soccer Times (No. 19) and 25th by the NSCAA (No. 16). For the first time this year, UCSB has dropped out of Soccer America's weekly Top-25. The Gauchos have remained the No. 5 team in the NSCAA's Far West Region rankings for consecutive weeks.

• Nationwide Leaders
Everybody knows that Gauchos know how to throw a party, so it is no wonder that UCSB has hosted the top-three crowds so far this season. Last Friday's attendance during the match against Cal Poly of 13,467 is the best in the NCAA this year and ranks as the fourth-highest in Harder Stadium history, the fourth best in NCAA regular season history at an on-campus venue and seventh overall for NCAA regular season attendance. The crowds against UC Irvine (7,822) and UCLA (7, 542) rank second and third, respectively, this season. Friday's match against Cal Poly marked the first time the Gauchos have lost in front of a home crowd of 10,000 or more. The Gauchos are currently averaging 6,153 fans per game, which is on-pace to break their previous NCAA record of 5,873 fans on average, set during the 2010 campaign.

• Relying on Ryan
Senior Nic Ryan scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season on Friday against Cal Poly. The midfielder leads UCSB in total points (17) and game-winning goals (4). In Big West play, he leads the team in goals (5), game-winners (2), shots (20), shots on-goal (9) and points (10), accounting for nearly half of the Gauchos' 22 points in league play. He ranks 35th nationally in total goals and third in the Big West.

• Taking Shots
UCSB posted a season-high 23 shots in last Tuesday's victory over Sacramento State and then topped that number against Cal Poly on Friday with 24. The Gauchos lead the Big West with their 17.4 shots per game average.

• Getting Defensive
Goalkeeper Austin Mansker posted a career-best six saves in the match against Cal Poly. The freshman currently ranks 26th nationally with his .777 goals against average, which is tops in the Big West. His five shutouts are also tied for first among conference goalkeepers. Mansker is on-pace to make UCSB's all-time top-10 for single season GAA, currently ranking sixth. The Gauchos have allowed the fewest goals – 13 – among Big West teams and if they don't concede anymore this season, they could set a school record. One more goal against would tie the 2004 and 1978 teams' record.

• Vom Steeg Nears 200
In his 14th year leading the Gauchos, head coach Tim Vom Steeg is the winningest coach in Big West history. Vom Steeg has posted a 195-75-30 record at the helm of UCSB and a 174-58-29 record since the program rejoined the Big West in 2001. Vom Steeg is also the winningest coach in UCSB men's soccer history and has turned the Gauchos into an annual national title contender. The 2004 and 2006 NSCAA National Coach of the Year, Vom Steeg guided the Gauchos to the NCAA title in 2006 and the championship game in 2004. He has guided UCSB to five Big West titles in the past 10 years and 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. He won Big West Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2005 and 2010 and has produced 17 All-Americans.

• Zero Waste Weekend
In collaboration with several campus organizations, UCSB will be hosting its first "Zero Waste Weekend" at this Friday and Sunday's men's soccer games. No landfill items will be allowed into Harder Stadium during the games and all trash from the events will either be compostable or recyclable. The weekend is part of the campus' ongoing sustainability efforts.

• Get Your Tickets!
To purchase tickets to this weekend's matches, visit the Ticket Office in the Intercollegiate Athletics Building on campus, call (805) 893-UCSB or by click here.